Toilet bowl plug



United States Patent 3,105,975 TOILET BOWL PLUG Anton S. Kresel, Grand Forks, N. Dak., assignor to Mary A. Kresel, Grand Forks, N. Dak. Filed June 21, 1961, Ser. No. 118,594 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-257) At the present time in many homes and establishments there is a tendency for water to back up from sewers in times of heavy precipitation due to the inability of the sewer pipes to carry away the unusual amounts of precipitation. As these sewer waters back up into the homes and other establishments, drain pipes on the lowest levels are quickly filled and back up through the toilet bowls on to the floors, resulting in great damage and destruction of property. Generally efiorts to limit the backing up of sewer water is limited to check valves of various types in sewer drains and occasionally in the main lines leading to the sewers from the homes and other establishments. In the event of a severe back-flooding of sewer lines, water may rise to a point where it will overflow toilet bowls on the lower levels of the building. In addition, it the pressure of the flooding waters is great enough,

the water may rise into toilets on the floors above the lowest floor. In such an event, whereas plugs are readily available to stop the ordinary sink or bathtub drain, none is readily available or of a type usable to prevent overflowing of the toilet bowl. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is both simple and practical, capable of being produced at low cost, and which may be introduced into the toilet bowl and effectively prevent overflowing of the toilet bowl caused by the backflooding of sewer waters.

'It is a further object of the present invention to provide an effective means of sealin g ofl toilet bowl drains from the entry of the odors that normally emerge from the toilet bowls during periods when sewer lines are backing up, by providing a means effectively engaging and sealing the walls of the toilet bowl to prevent the passage of gases.

It is a further object of this device to provide a satisfactory means of preventing rodents and other animals from entering homes and other establishments through the sewer pipes which connect to the toilet bowl. :During such times as the water levels may be low in the main sewers, toilets on the lowest levels may on some occasions remain unused for a considerable period of time. Such as for example, when a family may be on vacation, or a building unused. During such periods, rodents have been known to crawl into the sewer drains of buildings and enter the establishment through the toilet bowls. By the use of the present invention such entry of rodents could be effectively limited, since evaporation of the water in the toilet is effectively reduced by the use of the toilet bowl plug, and in addition the sealing means of the plug tightly engaging the sides of the toilet bowl will prevent entry of such vermin.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the assembled device in readiness for use.

the device in place therein.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-section through the device in position in a toilet bowl.

With reference first to the structure shown in FIGURE 1 the drawing shows a toilet bowl plug assembly including a bowl sealing means 6 which is sufliciently flexible in sealing relation with the sides of various bowls, and adaptably fastened to the plug body 8. In the preferred form this plug body may be of a relatively inexpensive material such as wood. The plug body as shown is of rectangular outline and has a rounded end portion 10 of smaller periphery to which is fastened the plug handle generally indicated by the number 12. A pivot bolt or similar hastening means 14 extends axially into the reduced end 10 of the plug body. As can be readily seen from the drawing in FIGURE 1, the sides and ends of the handle 12 are preferably rounded as indicated at 16, preventing scratching of the toilet surfaces with which the handle 12 comes in contact. The rounded end portion 10 of the plug body 8 is rounded to enable the operator to turn the handle readily to engage the rim of a .toilet without squeezing the fingers.

As can be seen in FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawings, the toilet bowl indicated in generally by the numeral 16, is provided along its upper edge with an inwardly extending flange or rim 18, having an under surface 20 (FIG- URE 3) which is usually on a substantially horizontal plane parallel to the upper surface of the rim. It is against this rim surface 20 that the handle is designed to engage.

It may also be noted from FIGURE 2 of the drawings that the handle 12 is of less length than the distance between the side walls 22 of the bowl 16, but is of greater,

length than the distance between the opposed inner side edges 24 of the rim 18. At the same time the handle 12 is of lesser length, or no more slightly greater length, than the inner edges 26 and 28 at the front and back, respectively, of the rim 18. As a result, the plug may be inserted into the bowl with the handle 12 extending from front to rear thereof, as shown in dotted outline in FIG- URE 2 of the drawing. In some instances, a slight tipping of the device may be necessary to insert the handle beneath the bowl rim. 1

Once the plug is within the bowl, the circumferential edge of the stiffly flexible sealing means, which is resillent and adaptable to the inner surface of the bowl, is pressed against the bowl walls by downward pressure on the handle 12.. When the handle is depressed below the surface 2%) of the rim 18', the handle is rotated through approximately degrees to engage the ends of the handle beneath the rim 18.

In most instances, the sealing disc 6 may be of conventional size and of proper resilience to fit the surface of the bowl. If not, the disc may be trimmed to prevent excessive flexing. To further adapt the plug to bowls of unusual shapes and sizes the bolt 14 may be anchored to the handle 12, and may be threaded into the plug body for relative adjustment therebetween. Alternatively, spacing'washersmay be provided between the handle 12 and the plug body 8 to change the elevation of the sealing disc 6 relative to the handle.

From the foregoing description it will be readily apparent that the present invention is both practical and simple to operate, and will provide an apparatus which will serve an apparent need.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in toilet bowl plug construction, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

, 1. A toiletbowl plug for use with a toilet bowl having an inwardly rim flange at its upper edge, the rim flange defining an opening whieh is elongated in a forwardly and rearwardly extending direction and being narrower in a lateral direction, said bowl having at least one drain outlet, the plug including:

(a) an unperfonate stifily flexible normally flat disk having resilient peripheral edges to sealingly engage the walls of said bowl above said drain outlet,

(12) a plug body having a lower end thereof secured to said disk intermediate said resilient peripheral edges whereby flexing of said intermediate disk portion is prevented,

(c) a relatively rigid handle piv-otally secured on asubstantially vertical axis to said plug body,

(d) said handle being adjustable toward and away from said plug body,

(e) the upper marginal edges of said handle being rounded,

(1) said handle beingshorter than the front to rear 4- dimension of said opening in said toilet bowl, but longer than the side to side dimension of said opening, and f (g) said handle being supported at proper distance 5 from said disk to permit the handle to be lowered beneath the level of said rim flange when the peripheral edges of said disk are in sealing relation with said bowl walls above said drain outlet while said handle extends in a front to rear direction, and then rotated 10 to extend transversely of the bowl with the ends of the handle engaged beneath the rimflange of the bowl on opposite sides thereof.

2. The structure of claim 1 and including spacer means,

20 706,669 Woodrufi Aug. 12, 1902 2,327,602 Kesteloot Aug. 24, 1943 2,529,587 Bates Nov. 14, 1950 

1. A TOILET BOWL PLUG FO USE WITH A TOILET BOWL HAVING AN INWARDLY RIM FLANGE AT ITS UPPER EDGE, THE RIM FLANGE DEFINING AN OPENING WHICH IS ELONGATED IN A FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY EXTENDING DIRECTION AND BEING NARROWER IN A LATERAL DIRECTION, SAID BOWL HAVING AT LEAST ONE DRAIN OUTLET, THE PLUG INCLUDING: (A) AN IMPERFORATE STIFFY FLEXIBLE NORMALLY FLAT DISK HAVING RESILIENT PERIPHERAL EDGES TO SEALINGLY ENGAGE THE WALLS OF SAID BOWL ABOVE SAID DRAIN OUTLET, (B) A PLUG BODY HAVING A LOWER END THEREOF SECURED TO SAID DISK INTERMEDIATE SAID RESILIENT PERIPHERAL EDGES WHEREBY FLEXING OF SAID INTERMEDIATE DISK POPTION IS PREVENTED, (C) A RELATIVELY RIGID HANDLE PIVOTALLY SECURED ON A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS TO SAID PLUG BODY, (D) SAID HANDLE BEING ADJUSTABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID PLUG BODY, (E) THE UPPER MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID HANDLE BEING ROUNDED, (F) SAID HANDLE BEING SHORTER THAN THE FRONT TO REAR DIMENSION OF SAID OPENING IN SAID TOILET BOWL, BUT LONGER THAN THE SIDE TO SAID DIMENSION OF SAID OPENING, AND (G) SAID HANDLE BEING SUPPORTED AT PROPER DISTANCE FROM SAID DISK TO PERMIT THE HANDLE TO BE LOWERED BENEATH THE LEVEL OF SAID RIM FLANGE WHEN THE PERIPHERAL EDGES OF DISK ARE IN SEALING WITH SAID BOWL WALLA ABOVE SAID DRAIN OUTLET WHILE SAID HANDLE EXTENDS IN A FRONT TO REAR DIRECTION, AND THEN ROTATED TO EXTEND TRANSVERSELY OF THE BOWL WITH THE EDGE OF THE HANDLE ENGAGED BENEATH THE RIM FLANGE OF THE BOWL ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF. 